McLarty Discusses Election Outcome

Former White House Chief of Staff Mack McLarty talk with WSJ's Alan Murray on what President Barack Obama needs to do in a second term. Photo: Getty Images.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

... I ... fan ... Courtney support chiefs after ... Bill Clinton ... and joins us ... thank you very much for being with us ... up walk walk was ... that we we got a ways to go to buy until we see the final results ... of but the one thing it's very clear is that we're going to continue to have a Congress that divided between the two parties to get anything significant on ... your behalf to people from both parties come together sit down and make things happen ... for some reason in the last couple of years ... that seems to been exceedingly difficult ... you didnt on some occasions during the Clinton ministrations doesn't seem to happen anymore what's gone wrong and had to fix the hell is that if the present Obama gets re elected how was he getting change the dynamic in Washington ... well I think this so ... I think this election ... I think this election will go a long way toward changing and I think the ... the the results the elections the ... very loudly and clearly ... not just that the president appears to be on the rolled reelection ... but ... I don't think there's ... a Bemis Knight ... the people the country faster jar ... war the executive branch to present to take a leadership role ... work with both houses of Congress ... looks like the Democrats may pick up a feeder to the Senate but regardless ... I think the demand ... is for cooperation middle ground flexible compromise address the serious challenges placed their country ... I think that's the unmistakable message here ... will the Missy to be heard ... I'm sorry ... will the men seem to be heard that maybe the message of the well I ... hope so well so I I think will know pretty quickly ... how how ... both the Congress and the press to react ... I hope it will be heard because our challenges are serious ... they are immediate ... they are manageable their addressable ... I think you can really start to get a surge of confidence ... just like we saw when ... the president did reach agreement ... with Congress ... over a year ago ... not to let the nurses within our grasp to manage ... let me just interrupt and say you now have several networks who are declaring that President Obama has been re elected president of the state of Ohio has ... has got to Obama we have not done and yet we have not encountered and yet but certainly that is the direction the things of that maybe what you're feeling it is is this a done deal it does at this point ... yes I dare you never you never wore a perfect early get a kid we saw that in the house and rang but Ohio's been the key ... but I think the president appears to be running pretty strongly ... I think Governor Romney climbed up the hill but couldn't quite get to talk about ... that that ... appears to be the way things are going at the moment ... the number of analysts who said in the last few days that ... the president's response to the hurricane is one of the things that has helped him get away during the last week you believe that ... yes I think it's I know ... everybody has a different view about it I think it played modestly ... in the presence flavor politically of course that the real focus of the Hurricanes of tragedy and suffering has taken place ... I think it gave the press every press opportunity to be pressed Presidential commander in chief and respond ... I think it probably change the subject and slow a bit of ... Governor Romney's momentum I'd really will never know for sure ... but I don't believe that the end the day ... the hurricane ... truly was the deciding factor in the selection yet I think it played modestly the presents right you know we were talking just a little while ago with Bill Schneider about this striking demographic divide it has shown up in the selection ... dead dead ... folks to look like you and me frankly ... we strongly for Governor Romney ... and ... Latino swim and no higher Young doughy ball and underwear strongly African Americans broke strongly for present Obama ... I know you've always had demographic divides an election but this one seems much more stark than usual ... but ... probably not a great thing for the nation is that ... thought I don't think there's any question the demographics change dramatically I think President George H W Bush ... got over sixty percent of the white vote ... and that propelled him over four hundred Electra world boats ... in nineteen eighty eight so I think you can see how much ... tree change demographically look ... this is a serious challenge for the Republican party ... has been coming for some time ... I think a lot of leaders of the Republican party like Governor Jeb Bush got that an iOS ... Senator Mel Martinez many others ... I have been ... saying this survey Markel radio ... realizes that ... it's polling in Florida he's been him ... speaking out about it ... that there's no question the equations been changed Republican Party's going to have to have to judge if they expect to be up a strong viable National Park Mac I we now have Fox NBC CNN and CBS have all been cleared the selection for present Obama ... were were staking were watching with a piece ... of sari with a P ... I think the piece is learn from experience to be careful on these things you don't wanna have another experience like two thousand ... so we had not get ... a call the election up ... but it is but it's ... looking pretty good ... for present Obama ... yet as and as an advisor to presidents what would you say to the president about what he needs this communicate tomorrow ... we now move on from elections to governing we know we've got some really big issues on the agenda yet got to do with the deficit got to deal with the fiscal cliff what would your advice be to this president on how to deal with tomorrow the day after ... well look first of all he should be very humbled and fill a real sense of gratitude ... to the American people that they have now given him ... a second term this is this is a ... this is of my tour ... of my Turin significant historical that ... in our country ... so first of all there there should be that really ... sets of ... of gratitude and recognition of this ... privilege and also the challenge ... I think immediately he needs to start ... Perry the country for the decisions of the ad ... rejected Republican party ... Ricci up is always the people that brought me so to sleep ... and start talking about uniting this country and addressing the issues before us ... fighting the common ground that would be the strong advice about getting ... I think that will be the sole much for the coffers of our people I think it will help the economy ... that's the that's the that's the right road taken my and my ... do you think he needs to spend more time in the second term ... according ... to congressional Republicans ... of bringing them to the White House going up to the hills spending more of his personal capital trying to bring them on board a governing coalition ... I did ... I think he's been more tied according to Qantas both Republicans and Democrats ... that that that site you get legislation passed in and look it's not as easy ... as it was even with present but it was in office much less ... ego by further history ... but he's gonna have to develop but cattle for the town of ... Ross ... with both sides of the aisle ... and and and try to forge some kind of consensus common ground that will motivate the drilling of this ... is not just going to be the president ... and his team has outraged the real impetus here in my judgment ... is a clear message from the people this country ... you can release all that and in a number of these ... congressional and senatorial races ... where where I think the country still pretty loudly ... for the worst possible candidate ... as opposed to the candidate is therefore welcome VeriFone why yes I think that's the message this election I hope that's not it would be ... arate Mack McLarty thank you very much for being with us tonight ...